Author Archives: Marty Ryan

Brain Drain

Have you ever walked into a room and couldn’t remember why you were entering that room? I have the answer as to why that phenomenon is common among us old folks. Bear with me. It’s no surprise that my annual … Continue reading

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Political Baptism II

1987 was a busy year for me in politics. Not only was I the Secretary-Treasurer of the UFCW Iowa Branch and the Secretary-Treasurer of the local union, UFCW Local 440, I was the Chair of the Crawford County Democratic Party. … Continue reading

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Political Baptism

Naivety has always been one of my strong traits. Almost forty years ago, I was elected as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Iowa Branch for the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW). I was also the recently elected Secretary-Treasurer of UFCW … Continue reading

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Sneak Peek

There was no better rite of passage from childhood innocence to arrogant adolescence in the 1960s than to see how many kids you could stuff into the trunk of a car and sneak into the drive-in movies. Bub had a … Continue reading

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The Cost of Doing Business

“The punishment should fit the crime” is a cliché that was popular years ago, but seems to have disappeared from today’s conversations on justice. Usually, a penalty is attached to the creation of a new law, but occasionally it’s either … Continue reading

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Everyone’s Best Friend – Jim Malloy

June 3rd is a significant date in my life. My parents, Francis Martin Ryan and Rhea Madonna Fritz were married in Breda, Iowa, on this date in 1941. Twelve years later on the same date, my brother Kevin (“Cub”) was … Continue reading

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